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Sharapova glows in relationship with tennis pro Dimitrov

Douglas Robson, USA TODAY Sports
2:09 p.m. EDT May 22, 2013

Mar 17, 2013; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Maria Sharapova, after winning the title at Indian Wells, Calif., against Caroline Wozniacki in March, against the backdrop of the Russian flag.(Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea, USA TODAY Sports)

Story Highlights

Maria Sharapova, Grigor Dimitrov are tennis' latest hot couple

The two were spotted together by paparazzi at recent Madrid Open

Sharapova previously was engaged to be married to former NBA guard Sasha Vujacic

For Maria Sharapova, defending her French Open title is the next challenge on the court. Life off the tennis court remains a buzz of activity.

Sharapova, the No. 2-ranked player in women's tennis, breaks into her high-pitched giggle when reminded of her many roles -- champion, daughter, businesswoman and lately, girlfriend, in a budding romance with fellow pro Grigor Dimitrov, ranked 28th on the men's tour.

Maria Sharapova poses for the media next to a Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet as she is unveiled as Porsche's new brand ambassador at the Porsche Museum on April 22, 2013 in Stuttgart, Germany.
Alexander Hassenstein Bongart, Getty Images

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But it's not about age. Sharapova says she needs a man who understands the demands of her profession, respects her space and allows her to let her hair down.

"It's about finding the person where you can be yourself all the time, where you're comfortable with being younger girl, the older girl, the mature girl, and the person that understands you and look at you and say you're completely off your rocker!" she tells USA TODAY Sports, chuckling.

"I have so many things going on in my life and I really love them. Of course I want someone to be by my side to enjoy them. You know, I can jump on a plane tomorrow and go somewhere because I want to do it. And it's really important that that person respects me for the decisions that I make and the things that I do in my life."

That perspective might have been a lesson drawn from her previous relationship with former NBA guard Sasha Vujacic of Slovenia. The couple was engaged to marry but cancelled their nuptials last summer.

"It was hard, after spending so many years together with a person," Sharapova says. "You build a very strong foundation with a person and in time you realize that's not the path you want to be going towards."